Kimm Mayer, planning committee lead, said establishing the festival is important because “it makes reading and literacy accessible to everybody by introducing people to authors and activities in a fun and relaxed environment.” She added that the festival complements the arts community in Southwest Michigan and could impact literacy in the region while promoting tourism.
Often regarded as a landmark in the history of Black cinema, Ganja & Hess (1973) uses vampirism as a metaphor for “Black assimilation and identity, white cultural imperialism, addiction, desire, and the hypocrisies of organized religion,” Monoform Cinema wrote on its website.
Before our three-week publishing pause, Watershed Voice invites our readers to take a look back at the past year in local news. For Watershed Voice, it was a year marked by change, as we transitioned from one staff writer — Najifa Farhat for the first half of the year — to another, Maxwell Knauer, for the second half of the year. No matter the author of our stories, we aimed to bring prompt, fact-based, independent reporting to Southwest Michigan. Here’s a look at some of our favorite, most impactful, and most-read stories of 2025.
TRCP has been part of the Three Rivers arts landscape since 1973, often blending entertainment and education into its programing. The theater’s junior summer productions have introduced generations of young actors to the stage – including this show’s director who said those experiences were foundational to his creative life.
The book follows two boys as they face challenges on each hole of an 18-hole course, learning about the world, teamwork, and friendship along the way. All proceeds from the event, including 100% of the author’s royalties, will be donated to the Cassopolis food shelf to help feed local families in need.
Directed by Stacey Jaeger, a production stage manager at the Kalamazoo Civic Theatre, the show is based on the 1989 film of the same name.
"A New Beginning" is written by Tereasa Bellew of Marcellus. The piece was selected as the winner of Watershed Voice's Short Story Contest in the 18 and over category.
"One Man" is written by Sundos Hejazi of Portage. The piece was selected as the winner of Watershed Voice's Short Story Contest in the 17 and under category.
This piece of flash fiction titled "18 Pearl Moons" was written by Watershed Voice columnist and local author Charles Thomas.
The fourth chapter of Charles Thomas‘ 2017 murder mystery novel “Headcase.” Readers be advised this story features graphic content.
A NOTE FROM OUR EDITOR
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